To dry, or not to dry

You got that right!! I live about 10 minutes from the Gulf (as the crow flies) and today, for example, our humidity is 85%.

I haven't owned a dryer for 30+ years. Yes, there are days when it takes over 8 hrs. for laundry to dry. But, you learn how to adapt, like doing laundry early in the day so things are dry by evening. And yes, I hang laundry even in the winter, when temps are in the 30s. I figure it makes me tough, like our ancestors were.

yeah, with the humidity lately, I don't even want to be outside, let alone leave my close out there. I'm REALLY liking the idea of moving to Colorado more and more. Florida is fading fast from my list. But mark my words come winter I'll be crying for the Florida temps! LOL

As for being tough like your ancestors, like my ex-in-law use to say (in a fake Russian accent) "You strong like bull". LOL

We're in the tropics, so it's great for line drying--most of the time. It gets a little tough in rainy season. We need a covered area to hang things in a pinch.

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homely |ˈhōmlē| (adjective) Simple but cozy and comfortable, as in one's own home.

We don't have a dryer so I hang dry 100% of the time. I have wooden drying racks and metal rods that hang near the wood stove. Clothes get hung on hangers on the metal rods. Just bought plastic covered wire for outdoors so hoping to get that line up soon.

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http://maysmissive.blogspot.com/

Not likely you'll be able to run a drier off solar power. Anything that heats up is a killer on an off-grid system. If you want a drier, prolly best to use gas. I haven't tried our washer yet without the generator with our new inverter - it will be interesting to see if I can use that even. Our new inverter does a much better job of maintaining a constant voltage, but it is much more finicky about the draw.

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http://maysmissive.blogspot.com/

I have no electric dryer it died and I am too cheap to replace it so everythign gets hung up!

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Do not Lead for I will Not Follow
Do not Follow for I shall Not Lead
I am but a Simple Drummer

Only the first year. I moved her from Phoenix, Arizona, via Las Vegas, NV, via South Central Texas. Therefore I was used to it being HOT.

The first winter here, I only left the house if I HAD too...and I thought I was going to DIE!

The second winter, we got a warm front that brought the temps up to the mid 50's for a week, and I seriously considered sunbathing!

My DH likes to say, "Strong like bull, smart like....bull" Or sometimes, "Strong like bull, smart like tractor."

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Peace,
Caliann

"First, Show me in the Bible where it says you can save someone's soul by annoying the hell out of them." -- Chuck

That sounds just like me, I use to live in Phoenix for about six months, I took a job with a company in Chicago and they needed an on-site rep for a project in Phoenix. Well, it was scheduled to start in Sept, got delayed and I didn't get out there until Feb. So I stayed the summer, then moved back to IL in time for the winter!

That was the final straw when it came to living in the Midwest, so I moved down to FL in time for the summer!

I like that, I got a feeling I will be saying that a lot about myself in the near future. I think John Wayne said something like "life's tough, but tougher when you're stupid." I don't like calling people names, but I have a feeling this one is going to fit me when I buy my first piece of land. LOL

I live next to the Atlantic Ocean in southren Nova Scotia. Here summers are cool seldom reaching above 72F or 20C and most days are in the 60's F or 16C. The air is damp .Then there is often summer fog until August. I hang my wash outdoors when it isn't raining or snowing. It NEVER dries completely. It will be just damp enough I have to hang it on hangers and drying racks overnight after bringing it in.

In cold weather the washed clothes hang on two drying racks attatched to the wall above the wood stove, another one above the bathtub or two that stand on the floor by the heating stove. I also have a rod across the livingroom/kitchen wide doorway and hang some clothes on hangers there to dry when needed.I hate doing things twice like hanging the same wash twice but that is what I have to do. I never have had a clothes dryer and never will as power is expensive here and I think dryers are bad for the environment.

I hang dry in the summer and fall and dryer it in the winter and spring. Our weather here is so unpredictable at times, I try when I can. I love the smell amd feel of all the cottons on the line but hubby hates when the towels are hung on the line. They can exfoliate you real well in the summer months!

Line dry everything. Haven't owned a dryer in five years.

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Our homestead-in-the-making: Palazzo Rospo
Eating the dream

We don't have a dryer so line dry or dry in the house all the time. (a pair of blue jeans will dry overnight in the winter if hung in the room with the woodheating stove.)

Haven't had a dryer in at least 15 years, maybe more...Electricity is NOT free but my "solar" line is....

I wrote an article called "the Right to Dry" that was in the Alabama State Cooperative Farming News last year and which won national first place in national newspapers for "columns" concerning how it is something we've always done but folks are having to fight for the "right" to do it in some subdivisions, etc. now....last I heard the article was on display at the Fess Parker Museum/Spa in California....

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to post my experiment in case it helped anyone. A couple months ago, I noted when the electric meter was read and then I only hung our clothes to dry, no dryer at all, for that month. It cut our electric bill by more than 1/3.

I stopped line drying when I saw more than one report describing how nasty with bacteria wet clean laundry actually is , how line drying in humid regions often doesn't prevent the bacteria nasties from mildewing the laundry a bit on the line and all of my residences are in humid regions, decided the extra $10 a month to run the dryer, prevent mildewing with adequate combination of heat and air circulation wasn't that much of an issue , understood its easier using the dryer beside the washer for 30 minutes than toting wet laundry out and spider filled laundry in and no rained out laundry days.

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"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"

I like that idea of hanging the shirts on hangers first. That would also prevent those clothes pin marks on all the t-shirts! I'll have to try it. (I have lots of extra hangers since I just purged my closet!)

We have one of those umbrella type lines. When I hang the clothes I'm very systematic about it - each family member has a section. When my husband hangs them he just gets them up as fast as he can and they are spread out all over. I smooth the clothes and straighten collars and sleeves. He doesn't bother. But he does laundry so you won't hear me gripe!

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mawalla

I like to hang our laundry outside spring through fall, but will still fluff it in the dryer for a few minutes because DH doesn't like crunchy towels and cardboard jeans. Right now we are using an umbrella type clothesline. We also have clothesline posts in the ground, but no rope on it yet. I can't wait to get that line fixed up to use!

Since I live 10 minutes south of Disney, I can say: hang, 12 months a year.

I have no dryer and have not in over 10 years. I refuse since Mother Nature is right outside the door. There is nothing like the smell of clothes that have been line-dried, and I could not imagine the extra money I would have spent on electricity for those 10 years. For winter, I hang inside. As long as it is above freezing and there is sunshine, they will dry outside.

We have no place here for a clothesline. If we did, the clothes would be hung out because we all prefer it.

Nomad

We started hanging our laundry out to dry about 2 months ago when we moved. The yard is a lot more private and open so I can actually enjoy it!